Up until this point, Jack was not afraid of anything. He lost an arm and fought against several grim reapers, even when they were powered up by rage and sorrow. None of that took away his hope. He was determined to win even with all the odds stacked against him. But for some reason, it all changed when I arrived. He started slouching and his eyes narrowed.

"Looks like you have quite the power. But it did come at a cost, did it not?" That statement could not have been closer to the truth. Suddenly, I knew everything. It felt like the godly power I was supposed to have finally decided to listen to me. But all the wounds that covered my body were a sign of the struggle I'd been through. Tons of tiny cuts already stopped bleeding, but I never really bothered to wash away any of the blood that flew out. To someone who wasn't there to witness what happened, it looked like I was a survivor of a massacre.

Even though I used up most of my strength just to get there, once I saw that hideous face of a man, it was as if I caught a second wind. I wanted to see him suffer the same fate as all those innocent people of Sunwalley. I wanted him to know just how many lives his deeds had cost. There was nothing I craved more than to finally wipe that smile off of his face.

My eyes quickly scouted the battlefield. What I saw made the pressure of my blood rise even more. White was lying on the ground. Back then, I didn't know whether she was alright or not. Garry, on the other hand, was clearly dead. The holes in his corpse could be seen from miles away.

"Ah, you see, this was a life or death battle, Mr. Wright, surely you unders..."

I had enough. One more word from his mouth and I'd lose my mind completely. Just how many lives had to be lost because of him and his lackey? I clenched my fist so tight it was shaking. All the power I could gather flew into the tiny flames around Jack. A massive burning pillar rose up around him, reaching high into the clouds. His scream filled the entire valley. I couldn't help but smile. This was music to my ears.

"What is the matter, Mr. Jack? Sounds like you are experiencing quite a discomfort. Do not worry, I'm not done yet," I said and snapped my fingers. With another dose of my Divine Creativity, the pillar grew again. I slowly started walking towards him. My attack only lasted for a few seconds, but I could repeat it as many times as I wanted.

"I still have to..."

*SNAP

"...pay you..."

*SNAP

"...for all those people..."

*SNAP

"...that died..."

*SNAP

"...in Sunwalley!"

My hand wanted to snap again, but it was impossible. Black vines wrapped around it, preventing me from moving my fingers. Only now did I recognize this random person. Before, I thought it was just some poor citizen that got caught in the crossfire.

"Chester! Let. Me. Go." I told him as calmly as possible, even though my voice still stayed sharp.

"Stop this! He had enough! You don't have to kill him."

Hearing that sentence made me laugh. "Really? YOU are lecturing me? After everything, you've done? After all those innocent people you've killed? Don't you remember your own story? No life was ever too much of a sacrifice for you!"

"You mean the story that YOU wrote for me?" My heart sank. His words hit the weakest spot. Was I really the one to blame for his doings? Would he really turn out to be the hero if I gave him a chance?

"Yes! You're thinking about it, aren't you, Eddie? About all the bad things that happened because of you!" Jack spoke once again. When I looked at him now, however, I couldn't help but feel pity. He was unable to move anymore. Instead, he's just been lying there, waiting for that final blow. My tense muscles have finally loosed up a bit. When Chester felt that, his vines let go of me.

I walked over to Jack. There was still more I had to know. Gunslinger's words never left my head and if anyone had the answers I wanted, it was the man right in front of me.

"Came to hold my hand?" Jack asked in a sarcastic tone. I had to try very hard to push away all the anger festering inside me. "Tell me, Eddie... Who died in Sunwalley?" That question surprised me. Why would he care?

"Almost everyone. Your lackey tore down the whole bar during its busiest hour."

"Did you kill him?" His questions got weirder.

"Yeah, I did."

"Good... Wouldn't have had it any other way," he said and smiled. For a moment, it seemed that he was pleased to hear about what I did.

"Wasn't he your friend?"

"Friend? He was there as my watchdog, making sure I wouldn't step out of the line and work against Ifrit."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Against him? I thought you worked FOR him?!"

"I did. Back when I joined though, he still wanted to save solely this world."

"I don't get it." My confusion grew. Just what exactly was their story?

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Jack sighed and with all the strength left in his body, he touched my forehead. The scenery around us suddenly changed. Everything around was black. The only thing I could see perfectly was my own and Jack's bodies. He was standing in front of me, completely healthy again.

"What is this magic?" I asked and immediately raised my fists. With the gunshot wound on my shoulder seemingly gone, it was much easier to move both arms.

"My afterlife, Eddie."

"What?!" I looked around again. There was truly nothing here. If this was what awaited us all after death, then dying was indeed the worst possible fate.

"Or more specifically, this is Void. The place that exists between universes."

"So... this is where souls go?"

"Ah, hell no! Don't be ridiculous! I chose to come here after my own death."

"But... why?" I looked at him without a single idea. What could be good about being stuck in a place like this?

"That is a long story."

"Then start explaining. I have questions too."

"Ask them first. It'll be easier."

I wondered for a while whether I should listen to him. But in the end, what did I have to lose. It's not like I've uncovered some super-secret intel.

"The Gunslinger asked me... to kill Ifrit. Why?" After I said that, Jack burst out in laughter. he covered his eyes with his hand and looked up.

"So he was the same as me? All this time? Damn... and I thought he was a loyal dog. God, I'm a bloody dumbass!"

"Same as you? What the hell are you talking about?!" I raised my voice without even realizing it. I wanted answers more than anything.

"You see, as it seems, we both wanted to kill Ifrit."

"But why?! Isn't he supposed to be like... your boss?"

"That is correct. But what he promised us is long gone. Right now, he is... different."

"I don't get it. Different how? Gunslinger said that he traded Divine Creativity for something. How does this all connect?"

Jack sighed. It seemed that my presence was starting to irritate him.

"I will show you everything if you wish for it so desperately. But to answer your question, I must tell you something." He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Whatever he was about to tell me seemed to bother him greatly.

"I hate you, Eddie. With all my being, I absolutely despise you." That caught me off guard. This was something I learned to expect from those who were the victims of my stories, but him? I didn't even know where he came from.

"But... my stories didn't involve you. What reason do you have to hate me? I didn't manipulate your life in any way. Heck, I don't even know who you are or where you came from!"

"See, and that's where you got it all wrong." He sat down into the nothingness we were standing on and waved his hand, gesturing me to do the same. "Do you remember Everstar?" he asked me and for a moment, I could see tears in his eyes.

"Of course. It's a city from one of my stories. Very high-tech. Everyone seems happy there until a certain hacker starts to uncover the secret behind the people in charge and starts a revolution," I answered. It was my visual novel, and one I felt at least a little bit proud of. Sold a lot of copies too.

"It used to be my home," Jack continued.

"Used to?"

"Yes. When you decided to take your own life, for some reason, you thought it would be best to take us with you. Everstar was the first place to be hit by the scorching heat of that fire you caused. Soon, it became uninhabitable and slowly, the flames were engulfing it. People were running away. Too many residents and not enough space. It created poverty and hunger. However, those who were rich could afford a happy living."

"And you were one of them? A rich man?"

"Yes. I was the general manager of a very large agricultural company. You know, the one that the hacker invades to get into our database."

"Oh, I remember that. You were the man in charge?"

"Kind of. Not completely, but I've been in a very high position. But I wasn't alone." Jack reached into his newly reformed clothes, looking through all the pockets with quick movements and fast breathing. Eventually, he seemed to have found what he was looking for and calmed down. Then, he handed me a necklace with a little photo sitting inside it. My eyes widened when I saw the image. It was him, looking as happy as a man can be. A broad smile, narrow eyes, and a relaxed posture. Next to him stood a woman. She was only a bit shorter than him, had long blonde hair, and had exactly the same expression. And between them was a little girl. She seemed to be the perfect clone of her mother, only many years younger. Her face was decorated with a wide grin. It seemed as if she had been laughing right when the photo was taken.

"You lost your family..." I whimpered and returned his prized belonging. He put it back into the pocket of his jacket.

"Yes. But not to the heat. It was the people. One day, my little ladybug didn't come home from school. We went to look for her but found only the body. That night, I promised to use all the money I have left to hunt down those responsible and kill them. But private investigators, security officers, or the police were all useless. And then came to me this man. He looked like some sort of an ancient prince. He introduced himself as Ifrit and told me that he'll give me the power of magic if I'll join him in his attempt to fix this crumbling world. Back then, I was full of grief, so I declined. Partially also because I didn't believe him. But not even a month later, my wife was found murdered in our very house. Murdered by those who believed in you. A cult."

His hatred toward me finally made sense. "I didn't know..."

"Oh yes, you did! You wanted to die along with your creations. Of course, you can't burn all your books, so the fire on that roof was only symbolic, but your wish cost us everything. You WANTED us to die!"

I didn't know what to say. All my thoughts were too dark to say out loud.

"Ifrit wanted Divine Creativity to return the world back to its original state, but then... he changed."

"Changed? How? And why?" I mumbled through my repressed tears.

"When the world started to crumble, it revealed this," he gestured all around him."

"The Void. A space between worlds."

"But... what does that have to do with him?" I asked.

"Everything. Because one day, when Ifrit looked into the Void, something from inside it came knocking. He's been speaking with that... Something ever since. It wants Divine Creativity and in exchange offered Ifrit its power."

I didn't know what to say. The idea of this mysterious "Something" made my hands shake.

Jack stood up.

"Either way, it doesn't matter. I have a plan of my own. Or... had. I never wanted to choose between a god who doesn't want to save us and a god who deals with the dark. So, I wanted to go my own way. Fix the world with my own two hands. Hence why I chose this place as my afterlife. Go now, Eddie. Fight Ifrit. You won't win. And when he kills you, I'll make sure to set things right."

For a brief moment he disappeared and I was alone in the dark. The guilt of all my past actions started to haunt me. However, before I could shed a single tear, the scenery around me changed. The darkness faded and revealed a street full of bright neon lights. Suddenly, I found myself standing in a place I remembered creating - the city of Everstar.